A pair of Nacy Corpsmen take up positions as their patrol was fired upon, in Marjah, Afghanistan, March 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Dusan Vranic, File)

(Newser)
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The July 2011 deadline Barack Obama set to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan was supposed to put pressure on Hamid Karzai’s government to step up its efforts to take over security duties. But it's wound up putting at least as much pressure on Obama, according to a harsh front-page story in today’s New York Times. Key political figures and foreign policy experts are questioning the value of the war.

For example Richard Lugar, one of Obama’s foreign policy mentors, recently complained that the war was “proceeding without a clear definition of success.” Congressional Democrats are in almost open revolt, holding up funding requests far longer than they ever did for President Bush. Several countries have set dates to leave Afghanistan completely. “Politically, the support is absolutely crumbling,” says one expert. “You can’t hide that from the players in the region,” which makes them even less cooperative.

gee you do not say doh i say we get the hell out of there and let the savages kill eachother than we go back in and kill what is left

zdaydream

Jul 22, 2010 9:37 AM CDT

Bring the troops home. We went in to Afghanistan to punish them for attacking us and we've wasted $$Billions nation building in a country that we should not be rebuilding. george bush screwed up and Obama needs to get us out.

bewilderbeast

Jul 22, 2010 7:47 AM CDT

There's still strong support for this war from the Xe/Blackwater/Halliburton/Chevron gang. And they call the shots. It doesn't matter to them what's there or what's happening. Nor does it matter who dies or who pays. It matters only that they can send (hugely inflated) bills to the Pentagon. Promptly paid.